Prescription Drug Crack Down

Posted on July 27 2012

Opioid use is commonly prescribed by physicians for management of pain. As with all prescription medications, Opioid prescriptions include warning labels on their bottles, to alert the patient of any dangerous side effects or problems this medication can cause. Because this prescription drug seems to be one that is commonly abused, a new petition within the health care community may change these labels to be more effective in limiting abuse or misuse of these particular drugs.

With prescription drug overdoses now being the largest cause of accidental deaths in the United States, exceeding car crashes and the combined force of cocaine and heroin, the government has worked at focusing on so-called “pill mills.” The focal point has been specific to chain pharmacies, which many speculate facilitate habitual drug users.

Many are saying the government hasn’t done enough, and a group of healthcare professionals have petitioned the FDA for a warning label change on Opioid prescriptions. While these changes being made wouldn’t limit how doctors prescribed the medications, it would limit how pharmaceutical giants who manufacturer the drugs are able to present the uses. Some uses currently presented are believed to be non-approved for Opioid necessity.

The new labeling would prohibit the use of Opioid drugs for treatment of moderate pain. Those suffering from severe pain would still be able to get prescriptions as needed. It would also add a maximum per day dosage amount and a limit of time would be applied for how long a patient can be prescribed such medications. The exemption would be for cancer patients being treated for pain.